Dead fuchsia magellanica...again - why?

5 years ago

I've now had the same experience two years in a row: I bought a small gold fuchsia in the spring, and kept it in a pot through the growing season. It grew and flowered well until losing its leaves to the winter cold. Now in the spring when everything is sprouting (even a pineapple sage which I'd started from a cutting!) the fuchsia skeleton is brittle and dead.

I really like the gold fuchsia and they are easy to find, so I want to try again. But I don't want it to die after just one season again...what should I do differently?

I read that it is hardy down to zone 6 or 7...I am in zone 8 at least, more likely 8b. We can get down to -10c a few days each year, but it doesn't go much colder than that. Could it be dryness? I did keep the pot out of the rain, and only watered it occasionally, assuming that it wouldn't need much water during its dormancy...was that wrong?

https://www.greatplantpicks.org/plantlists/view/665

Featured Answer

floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK

5 years ago

No, you're not missing anything. It was the way you expressed it that sounded back to front. You said "your potted Fuchsia should be reliably hardy in z6" which I interpreted as meaning that a fuchsia in a pot was likely to be hardy in z6.

Tbh, although F magellanica seems to be listed as hardy to z6 in the ground that seems like pushing it to me.

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Comments (8)

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
5 years ago
It will be less hardy in a container than it will be in the ground. That could be part of the problem. Otherwise, they grow perfectly well here.......I've grown them for years and have several in my current garden. I can think of no other flowering shrub with as a long a bloom season and my resident humming birds love them!!

They can be quite late in the season to bud and leaf out so don't give up hope yet. Depending on exposure, it could be midMay before you see signs of life. I was very surprised to see my 'Aureum' leafing out in March but we had a very mild winter. One other hardy fuchsia in my garden - 'Dying Embers' - never even lost its leaves. A first for me!
teuth thanked gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
getgoing100_7b_nj
5 years ago
The rule of thumb is go down two zones for containers. So, your potted fuschia should be reliably hard in zone 6. I would give it a bigger pot, give it some insulation in winter (closer to the walls/bubble wrap...) or bring it indoors next time (presuming it survives or you get a new one).
teuth thanked getgoing100_7b_nj
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floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Are you sure you don't mean up two zones? Surely 6 would be iffy in the ground with a thick mulch, let alone in a pot.
teuth thanked floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
laceyvail 6A, WV
5 years ago
Yes up for containers, not down.
teuth thanked laceyvail 6A, WV
getgoing100_7b_nj
5 years ago
What I mean by down two zones is if you are potting something in a container, and are in zone 8, you should go for a plant that is at least reliably hardy in zone 6.
In this particular example, op lives in zone 8 and has plant that might survive zone 6. So, with some extra protection the plant could survive in a container. Am I missing something?
teuth thanked getgoing100_7b_nj
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
5 years ago
There should also be no issue with overwintering a hardy fuchsia in a container in the OP's zone. The winters are mild enough that not much of anything in a container should require winter protection. I frequently manage to overwinter tender perennials/shrubs like zonal geraniums or coprosma and cuphea in containers.

I would just reinforce my suggestion to not to give up hope yet. In most years, hardy fuchsias are very late to show signs of life....it is not at all uncommon to see no signs of new growth or basal buds until well into May.
teuth thanked gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
teuth
Original Author
5 years ago
Well, I sure hope I've judged it wrongly as dead and I will keep the skeleton around for a while yet to see if it sprouts anything.

Either way, next winter I will look into more protection for the pot, whether it's holding the old plant or a new one. I do know we had a bad cold snap both this winter and last, so maybe that plus the smallness of the plant and the two-zones-less-hardy thing are all contributing factors.